A long time

Everyone has been asking me about the Blog. I've either been too busy or the internet hasn't worked. It has taken two days of loading these pictures only to have the connection fail. But here they are!! 

This is playdough and dinner cooking

Emma and Beth holding Simon on the day of Simon's baptism

Beth and I went to the Dinner Theater in Portland watching Hugo in 3-D

Playdough for Tristan which was enjoyed by all!

 Don and Mark on the occasion of Mark's birthday we are waiting for the long awaited pedal bicycle!

 Here it is the dream bicycle, brand new and white and with pedals this 4 year olds dream gift.

  Emma and Simon hanging out at dinner
Spring is starting in St. Helens

This is Terry modeling a scarf that I spun and knitted for our Guild's Scarf exchange

Ms. Audrey and Marlyn spinning at the Newport Spin In. This annual event is one of my favorites but I haven't attended for years, I'm so glad I went

Meanwhile Lisa Hoffman designed this hat using beaded Fudge Icing pillow cashmere and regular cashmere. If you like this pattern call String in New York and ask Lisa for it

Meanwhile this is what a Spin-In looks like

Sunset over the Pacific Ocean a perfect warm day unusal the beginning of Febauray

All too soon I was on my way back to California, and there to greet me were all these orchids and Christmas Cacti

 I brought lots of cuttings from Oregon and Mike and I planted them up

 After we had a lovely day in the garden it was dyeing time

 Cashmere getting dye

 Becky came for a mid-winter visit and we dyed scarves this is Becky's

 Then just in time for Valentines Day the Pink Jasmine comes into full bloom and the smell was very strong

 We found this strawberry pot and repurposed it

 I saw this succulant and just had to have it

 Meanwhile yarn gets made

 We planted our spring garden and things are starting to come up

 Inside cats need grass and as soon as I brought some into the house Lily started eating

 Mike opening some of Becky's Salsa

 Lemon harvest from our trees

 I've been working on this cowl from Cowlgirls I think it works both ways right and wrong side

 and more yarn drying

 And here is our garden

 Val took me out for Tea for my birhtday even though it was months ago this was the first time we both could get together and here's dessert

 Now the real challenge of the last year. Our kitchen in California has been under construction for a year and finally counter tops are being installed

 you can't imagine how important a kitchen sink is. Having to cook outside is fine but not having hot water except for the bathroom was really hard, so happy to have hot running water I could careless when the next step happens

 and look what's happening

 My first load of dishes

 Ending with a past happy time, This scene was several years ago, happy times....

I've been working on yarn but also my personal life, balancing personal and work life has been really hard, unfortunatly only working regular hours means a lot longer for orders to get filled, balance isn't easy nor making hand-spun yarn. I'm working on it!

The Week the World becomes very small

Wednesday after a lovely day with the babies I came home and blogged and went to bed. Thursday I woke with a very dry throat by Thursday night the dry throat turned into fire throat and the fever started. Yikes! I made myself some hot lemonade out of the lemons I had brought up from LA

Friday instead of Family Friday with Mark, I went to Urgent Care. I love the people that work there but the people that go there are sad. Not just because they are sick or in pain it's much more than that. This woman was with her daughter waiting impatientily for two hours complaining about the wait. They talked loudly of things I didn't really want to know. Like the Mom didn't know how to spell her 21 year old's daughter father's last name, while they were trying to find her half brother on face book..... sad....

I tried to knit

Not much the Doctor can do for my virus. I wemt to the grocery store to stock up on things in case the snow that was predicited happened and so I could make myself food.... Saturday evening it began and by Sundy this was the scene at my house....

Sunday evening Cynthia (Knitting Central) and Sarina (Moving Mud) sent my their love from VK Live I love these guys. I made yarn quietly

Monday it was almost gone but spit snow all day and the good news is apart from the hacking coughing I felt much better and started to think about getting back into life

Lily is an inside cat, I wonder who made these tracks........

Celebrating the snow I plied beaded Edelweiss

Sunday night I broke another tooth. I called Becky to see if she would come and take me to the dentist for what ever needed to happen next, there was a lot of plans made. I took a pill and was able to sleep... The dentist office opens at 8:00 am so I had expected to hear from them around then. Sleeping off the many drugs to stop pain and coughing, I woke at 9:00 am wondering why I hadn't heard from the dentist then I looked out and saw why....

Even if they could see me today I couldn't get out of the driveway, I saw the snow plow going very slowly down Robinette (which is particularly nasty in snowy icy weather) but that's the only traffic I've seen in several days.
I'm bumming about so many things, but I have a warm house, and lots of good food (soft things) and a furry cat. I've made lots of yarn, and thought (before the tooth broke) that I might try dyeing today, but thinking now that sounds too cold. I will wind off my bobbins and start again to fill them. I'm alone but not lonely! It's really so beautiful and clean looking and I'm so grateful to not have to go anywhere... yes and pain tablets!